Galaxy S7 To Be Cheaper Than iPhone 7 [REPORT]

As the release date of the Galaxy S7 approaches, a new rumor seems to indicate the retail pricing of the devices. Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are expected to be revealed in an event on February 21, ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This will certainly make the event worth attending, as the LG G5 will also feature that one of the most important trade shows in consumer electronics.

Galaxy S7 – Cheaper price mooted

An extensive pre-release review of the Galaxy S7 suggests that the handset will cost the same figure as the predecessor in the series. But the Dutch website Tweakers.net has got its hands on information which indicates that Samsung will release the handset at a slightly cheaper price point, at least for the Edge model in the series.

According to this information, the 32GB Galaxy S7 will be priced at €699 in Europe, with the curved Galaxy S7 Edge retailing at €799. Comparatively, the Galaxy S6 Edge was priced at €849 initially on the European mainland. And if Samsung intends to trim the price of the Galaxy S7 in Europe, it is almost certain that North American prices will follow suit.

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Sources close to the Samsung supply chain apparently spoke directly with the technology site, and these individuals also suggest that Samsung will launch Exynos-powered versions of both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in the Benelux region (which comprises Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). Additionally, each of the two smartphones will be available in three separate colours, with black, gold and white particularly cited by the source.

An iPhone 7 beater?

It is interesting to note that this suggests that the Galaxy S7 could be more affordable than the iPhone 7. Of course, this is extremely speculative at this juncture, as Apple has not even finalized the plans for its next generation smartphone internally, let alone released any details about the handset. And there have been reports suggesting that Apple could release a slightly cheaper iPhone 7 than the previous iterations of the smartphone over the last couple of weeks.

However, despite these factors, it is notable that the existing iPhone 6S is priced at €749 or €849 in Europe; slightly more expensive than the rumored Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge price points. This is certainly indicative of an aggressive strategy from Samsung, and considering all the factors impacting upon the Korean corporation at present, such an ambitious move certainly appears to be sensible.

Solitary 32GB version

The sources also make another suggestion which is perhaps a little more outlandish, although it could yet turn out to be accurate. It seems that all purchasers of the Galaxy S7 will be rewarded with a unit with only 32GB of internal storage. This would certainly be an unusual move, considering that the iPhone 7 features a 128GB model. But other rumors have suggested that the Galaxy S7 will incorporate micro SD, as Samsung intends to reinstate the memory boosting technology this time round.

Tweakers.net also lists numerous specs and features that will form the backbone of the two new smartphones, and these are certainly consistent with murmurings that have been published by ValueWalk previously. In particular, the handsets will feature 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch displays, with Samsung sticking to quad HD for this Galaxy S generation. With Sony having released a 4K capable handset previously, it was hoped in some quarters that Samsung would follow suit with the Galaxy S7, but it looks that this will instead be reserved for the future Galaxy Note 6.

In addition, the two handsets will feature 3,000 mAh and 3,600 mAh batteries, respectively, and the source also confirmed the suspicion that the Galaxy S7 will be armed with a 12-megapixel BRITECELL snapper. This last specification is perhaps the headline news of the Galaxy S7, as it promises to deliver shooting in low-light conditions superior to anything achieved with mobile photography previously.

A 5-megapixel front-facing camera is further mooted, while Samsung will also ensure that the Galaxy S7 is water and dust resistant. It all adds up to a pretty powerful package, that Samsung is expected to top off with 4GB of RAM memory.

Samsung challenges

Despite the undoubted excitement among fans of Android devices regarding the Galaxy S7, Samsung is releasing the handset into an extremely challenging marketplace. Firstly, the profits of the corporation have fallen for numerous consecutive quarters, and this is certainly a major challenge for the Korean company going forward. Samsung has attempted to respond to this by simplifying its own product range, but the corporation is being attacked in pincer-like fashion at present.

Apple has become the dominant force in the premium mobile marketplace, while more affordable Android variants from companies such as Huawei and Lenovo are squeezing Samsung’s market share in its native East Asia in particular. Samsung has yet to demonstrate that it has the marketing and technological answers to these issues, but it will hope that the Galaxy S7 begins to claw back some of its market share.

In addition to this general Balkanisation of the market, Samsung must also accept that the smartphone marketplace is beginning to stagnate somewhat. Apple has already acknowledged that it will sell less iPhones in 2016 than last year; the first time that this has happened in the history of the device, since it was first launched back in 2007. If the market-leading corporation is struggling to achieve growth, there is no doubt that this will also be a significant difficulty for Samsung, which hardly comes at the ideal time, as the company is attempting to reverse its recent fortunes.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what the two corporations come up with in 2016. Clearly Samsung is attempting to gain an edge on Apple by delivering a smartphone variant at a more affordable price point. If Samsung can combine excellent performance with value for money, it may yet have an outstanding 2016, despite the demanding environment.

Christopher Morris is a passionate player of video games since the days of Space Invaders, and is extensively published on the subjects of Business, Technology and Politics. Chris also contributes to Yahoo.

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